Librarian
by thebestdamnthings
Summary: Because it’s only polite to return what you borrowed. AU. SasuSaku.


**Disclaimer: I don't own it. Then again neither do you.**

* * *

_introduction_

"Excuse me is this seat taken?"

In his peripheral vision he saw a girl precariously balancing a pile of books on one arm as she gestured at the empty chair in front of his.

Sasuke merely shrugged.

The girl carefully placed her books on the table between them and sat down.

"You're staring at me," he said bluntly, not bothering to glance up from his page.

Sasuke knew from experience that most girls would look away and/or deny that they had been looking at him in the first place. Either way as long as they stopped, he didn't have any complaints. But this particular girl just couldn't take a hint.

He looked up to glare at the girl and the first thing he noticed was that her hair was pink. Pink, for gods sake. _Pink_. But more importantly, he realized that her green eyes weren't even staring at him per se since they had been, and still were, practically glued to his _book_.

"Oh I'm sorry," the girl muttered bashfully. "I just thought the cover and title looked interesting."

"You don't like people staring at you, do you?" she asked out of genuine curiosity.

"Would you?" he shot back, not sure why he wasn't feeling as irritated as he should have been at such an obvious question from such an annoying girl.

She tilted her head to the side, studying his face intently.

"You know, come to think of it you're kinda cute. No, very cute," she corrected as an afterthought. "Like in this really pretty sorta way?"

Sasuke wasn't sure if he should be offended that she had only noticed his looks now.

Wait a minute.

The girl's face turned as pink as her hair when she realized that she had just called him pretty. To his face.

"Err it's a good thing! Maybe…" the girl winced.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Never mind I'll just be going now. Sorry for disturbing you." She stood up and started to gather all her things.

She was halfway to the counter when a hand reached out from behind her and added an extra book to her stack.

"Eh?" the girl turned around in surprise, nearly dropping everything in her hurry.

"I'm lending it to you," Sasuke explained shortly.

"Thanks," she smiled at him, all pink lips and white teeth. "I'll return it to you as soon as I'm done," she promised. "Bye."

It wasn't until after she'd left that Sasuke realized he had just lent the only book he'd brought with him to some girl who's name he didn't even know and that he absolutely no idea how the hell he was going to get it back.

* * *

_sequel_

As luck would have it, she was in the library again the next day. Her bright pink hair made her easy to spot.

Apparently she had seen him too because she was walking towards him.

"Hey, thanks so much for lending this to me. The characters were awesome and the plot was seriously cool. I'm Sakura by the way," she added abruptly, holding out his book.

"Sasuke," he returned, taking his book back.

Sasuke started walking with Sakura trailing after him.

"Do you come here often, Sasuke?" she asked politely.

"Not really," he admitted.

"Oh, I come here all the time so I was wondering why I haven't seen you before." she mused, twirling a strand of pink hair around a French manicured finger.

Sakura turned to stare at him incredulously when they realized where they were headed.

"Wait, you're leaving already? But you just got here!" she exclaimed, looking somewhat disappointed that he wasn't staying.

"I have the sequel in my bag," he said, watching in almost-amusement as her entire face brightened instantly.

"Really?"

"Really," he repeated dryly.

She was positively beaming at him by now, like a child that had just been offered ice-cream. It was rather… cute.

Sasuke pushed aside the uncharacteristic thought as he went to retrieve his book.

* * *

_trilogy_

"So who's your favourite character? I like Tory best."

"Figures," Sasuke drawled, absently flipping through his book. "She's the heroine."

Sakura stuck out her tongue at him. Sasuke smirked a little at her antics until she snatched his book right out of his hands.

"What?" he snapped, attempting to take the book back. Sakura quickly hid it behind her chair.

"You still haven't answered my question, Sasuke. Who's your favourite character?" she asked again, this time with a playfully triumphant glint in her green eyes.

"Ash." Sasuke leaned over in his seat to reclaim his book, leaving Sakura to her thoughts as usual.

"Hmm… well I suppose the two of you are pretty alike. Good looking, anti-social, all-around badass," she listed, counting off the traits on her fingers. "But deep down behind it all, you're both pretty nice guys."

"Hn."

Sakura reached forward to steal his book again but Sasuke held it out of her reach.

"What is it now, Sakura?"

"Excuse me? I just gave you a compliment and all you can say is-" Sakura stopped in the middle of her tirade to blink at the equally confused and somewhat wary boy opposite her.

"This is the first time you've said my name." There was a note of question in her tone that made it less of the statement of fact that it really was. As though she couldn't believe what had just happened.

"If I'd known that saying your name would get you to shut up, I would have done it sooner," Sasuke scowled, not really meaning it.

Sakura seemed to know because her expression changed from utterly bemused to the cheerful happy smile he was already used to -and rather liked- seeing on her face.

* * *

_the end. _

Sakura closed the novel, dropping it unceremoniously onto the couch she and Sasuke were sharing as she groaned in frustration.

"Ugh there are so many cliff-hangers in this _thing_." She said the last word like it was an expletive. "I think I'm going to die of anticipation before the next one comes out."

"It should be out by the end of the year," Sasuke informed her.

Sakura only sighed.

"So this is the last one huh?" she said after a long while, breaking the long silence that had stretched between them.

Her voice was strangely quiet. Sasuke put down his own book, giving his full attention to the girl beside him.

"Thank you for sharing your books with me." The look in her eyes and the way she said it implied that there was much more to it than that. Sakura was so absorbed in what she was trying to say that she entirely missed the way his dark eyes narrowed.

"If you ever want to borrow anything, just let me know kay?" she offered, managing a tiny smile that made a mockery of the real thing.

"See you around, Sasuke." She stood up.

Sasuke quickly got to his feet, gripping her arm gently to prevent her from leaving. His books had slid off the couch and onto the dusty well-worn carpet but he couldn't care less at the moment.

"There is something I'd like to borrow from you," he said at last, piercing onyx staring intently into surprised emerald.

Before she had any time to react, Sasuke lowered his lips to hers. He felt her body tense immediately at the entirely unexpected contact but she didn't try to break it. Just as she started to relax against him and return the kiss, he pulled back, smirking.

"Let me know when you want me to return it."

* * *

**Wouldn't it be totally cool if this happened in real life? I dunno about you but I can totally see this happening.**

**As for which book series Sasuke and Sakura were reading/referring to throughout the story, the character names and personalities were stolen off one of my favourite romance novel series. Not that Sasuke would read a romance novel ever but I seriously couldn't think of anything at the time. **

**My first attempt at something remotely resembling a kiss scene. Ugh. I had absolutely no idea where to begin or end. Writing too little would just be lame and describing too much would make it look like flat out porn. Seriously.**


End file.
